'Loki' dating Swift: Fans furious

Up until yesterday morning, our chances of becoming Mrs Tom Hiddleston were slim, but it was not impossible.

But now, all hope has been snuffed out, no thanks to a certain US multi-Grammy winning singer-songwriter.

The collective sound of crushed dreams and breaking hearts is resonating loud and clear all across the globe and all accusatory index fingers are being pointed at Taylor Swift.

Just two weeks after the pop sensation and her Scottish boyfriend, DJ Calvin Harris, confirmed the end of their 15-month relationship on Twitter, UK tabloid The Sun revealed that Swift, 26, has found new love in Hiddleston.

Why is this a big deal?

The charming 35-year-old English actor, best known for his role as Loki, the god of mischief, in the The Avengers and Thor movies, is popularly dubbed the "Internet's boyfriend" - loved by the Internet.

The news, which was shared more than 26,000 times on The Sun's website at press time, set Twitter ablaze, with strong mixed reactions from both men and women.

Both Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston were trending topics on Twitter yesterday.

Hiddlestoners are enraged that his easy charm and charisma are wasted on Swift.

"It's ridiculous. I respect Taylor Swift as an artist, but I think he deserves someone better," Mr Adam Kerr, 28, told The New Paper.

"He's extremely bubbly and I suppose I expected someone more like him, someone who is not Swift.

"Maybe they're just having fun and it might not last."

Mr Adam, who is between jobs, said he did not see it coming.

But Swift and Hiddleston made the news last month at New York's star-studded Met Gala when they were filmed busting their moves on the dance floor, after they were seated next to each other at the dinner.

Another Hiddleston fan, public relations executive Keri Lee, was taken by surprise because news of the Swift-Harris split had barely died down.

Besides, rumours earlier this year suggested Hiddleston was dating US actress Elizabeth Olsen, his co-star in the movie I Saw The Light.

Miss Lee, 27, said: "I'm shocked."

She added: "Everything Swift does is a publicity stunt so you really never know."

SERIAL DATING

She joked: "But if she screws this up, the world will come after her and I will be leading the charge."

Swift is infamous for her serial dating of men, and for turning the highs and lows of her relationships into hits.

For example, Out Of The Woods, written about Harry Styles of English boy band One Direction, Back To December, about Twilight star Taylor Lautner, and Dear John, about US singer-songwriter John Mayer.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are Swifties who want nothing more than for their idol to be happy, no matter who she is with.

"I'm a little surprised it happened fairly quickly after her split from Harris, but it's her personal choice," said Swift fan Arina Ling, 18, a student.

Responding to the views from Hiddleston fans globally, Miss Ling said she hopes they will be able to respect Swift's decision.

Netizens had a field day with the news.

Some could not resist puns ("Please give Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston their privacy they're trying to keep their relationship Loki", tweeted andylevy) while others were quick to post crying gifs.

SlowMovinDornan tweeted: "Taylor Swift moves faster than me when I hear the microwave ding, and that's pretty damn fast."

In what it dubbed a world exclusive, The Sun's story on Wednesday splashed photos of Swift and Hiddleston canoodling while sitting atop some rocks on a beach by her US$17 million (S$23 million) mansion in the US state of Rhode Island.

Dressed in a blue dress and brown sweater, Swift was photographed holding Hiddleston's hand, kissing him and taking selfies with him.

Hiddleston wrapped his blue jacket over her shoulders in one photo and pulled her arms around his waist in another.

As women and men worldwide struggle to make sense of the pairing, one cannot help but wonder how Harris, whose real name is Adam Wiles, is holding up.

Harris and Swift had painted the perfect picture of an amicable split.

He had posted on Twitter that the "only truth here is that a relationship came to an end & what remains is a huge amount of love and respect".

Swift re-tweeted it.

But it seems he is not taking this new development too well.

After the Swift-Hiddleston news broke, photos of happier times with her were swiftly deleted from his Instagram page and he unfollowed Swift on Twitter.

The tweet addressing their break-up has also disappeared.

Uh oh, has "love and respect" turned into loathing and repulsion?

Like him, Swift has also wiped her Instagram clean of photos of her ex-beau.

As the buzz reaches fever pitch, Harris seized the opportunity on Twitter to tease the release of the music video for his song This Is What You Came For featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna.

We are not fooled - life for him now is probably as tepid and bland as that Korean ginseng tea he posted on Snapchat in the wee hours yesterday.

It's a pity, too. We really thought #Tayvin was made to last.

Will #Swiddle stand the test of time?

Share your views with Ashikin at ashikinr@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 17, 2016.
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